Saturday, May 20, 2017

 

       Mr. Ashur Eskrya, President of the Assyrian Aid Society-Iraq and Ms. Juliana Taimoorazy, President of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, toured in Washington, where they held several meetings with government and legislative bodies, civil society organizations and various personalities, where in the evening of May 15, the delegation met with Dr. Walid Phares, the advisor to presidential candidate to the campaign of US President Donald Trump, te meeting discussed the situation of our people and the future of the Nineveh Plain and ways to return the displaced to their homes after liberation.

 

     On May 16, several meetings were held, including meeting with Senator John McCain's office, Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Marco Rubio, Congressional members Jeff Fortenberry, Dinkin Hunter and Tint Franks. the demands were focused on the importance of supporting Nineveh Plain Protection Units to establish security in the region, as well as the need for reconstruction and direct the support to organizations of our people.

 

      In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the delegation met with a number of sections, including the Human Rights Department, the Iraqi Section, the Freedom of Religions and the USAID. The meeting discussed the situation of our people and the challenges faced in returning the displaced people and restoring the Nineveh Plain after destruction by terrorists of ISIS gangs, especially the homes of indigenous people, as well as the property of our people in Mosul. The meetings also included a number of staff members in the Congress and in various fields, including human rights and the Committee on Foreign Assistance and Budget.

 

      On the evening of May 17, Mr. Ashur Eskrya met with Minister Plenipotentiary Johns Barlow, Chairman of the Political Committee of the Danish Embassy, ​​where they discussed the situation of our people post-ISIS and the future of the components and indigenous peoples and the European role in supporting the return of our displaced people to their areas and enabling them to maintain their presence in their land.

 

      On 18 May, Mr. Ashur Eskrya met with Mr. Knox Thames, the Special Advisor for Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Asia, to highlight the future of the region and the need to involve local civil society organizations in restoring life to the region, and the need to increase the humanitarian support. She also met with Pam Brier, human rights officer at the State Department, and met with William Murray of the Christian for Refugees Foundation in Washington.